Song Kang Rides 'Four Hands' Success to Top Actor Brand Reputation Rankings

Actor Song Kang has cemented his star power by clinching the top spot in the September 2026 actor brand reputation rankings. Hot on his heels are Seo Kang-joon and Gong Hyo-jin, who secured the second and third positions, respectively.

On September 22, the Korean Corporate Reputation Research Institute unveiled its findings after analyzing over 137.88 million data points related to 100 actors active in dramas, films, and streaming platforms from August 22 to September 22. The study calculated brand reputation indices based on consumer engagement, media coverage, communication, and community activity.

Song Kang topped the list with a brand reputation index of 4,351,209. He scored consistently across all categories, with participation (1,121,197), media (1,129,060), communication (1,052,119), and community (1,048,833) indices. Industry experts attribute his surge in popularity to his compelling performance in tvN's "Four Hands," which has seen a steady rise in viewership, jumping from 3.4% to a series-high 7.9% in its eighth episode.

Seo Kang-joon claimed the second spot with a brand reputation index of 4,319,536. Despite outperforming Song Kang in participation (1,136,209), Seo narrowly missed the top spot by just 31,673 points. He's currently winning hearts with his nuanced acting in KBS2's romantic drama "Another Love, Not You."

Gong Hyo-jin, making a comeback to the rom-com genre, secured third place with an index of 3,786,777. Rounding out the top five are Go Yoon-jung (3,511,033) and Kim Hye-soo (3,461,062). Other notable entries in the top ten include Jeon Hye-won, Lee Joon-young, Jung Hae-in, Jang Dong-yoon, and Park Ji-hoon.

Interestingly, the overall brand data volume for actors in September saw an 11.22% decrease compared to August's 155.31 million data points. This decline reflects a general dip across brand consumption, issues, communication, and dissemination indices. The shift is partly attributed to the integrated analysis of film and drama performances, a move aligned with the expanding influence of streaming platforms in the entertainment landscape.